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Keeper of Secrets
Eight enthralling stories bound by one incident. One truth begets another as a passionate tale of confrontation in a San Francisco restaurant travels from eyewitnesses to others.
Each protagonist views the attack through an emotion-stained lens, the story taking on a life of its own as filtered through different individuals' pasts, present and futures. Each character unweaves and re-braids their hidden truths, and exposes a chain of inner mysteries that binds them.
"Karmic truth, the effect of our decisions with our secrets and our deepest loves, comes back and squeezes the hearts of these characters. The elegant, super-rich, super-accomplished African-Americans in Keeper of Secrets are as susceptible as anyone to conflicting passions, ones that may not be reconcilable in this world... Floyd pulls the reader into their lives without mercy." --Clive Matson, author of Let the Crazy Child Write! and First Ten Songs
Each protagonist views the attack through an emotion-stained lens, the story taking on a life of its own as filtered through different individuals' pasts, present and futures. Each character unweaves and re-braids their hidden truths, and exposes a chain of inner mysteries that binds them.
"Karmic truth, the effect of our decisions with our secrets and our deepest loves, comes back and squeezes the hearts of these characters. The elegant, super-rich, super-accomplished African-Americans in Keeper of Secrets are as susceptible as anyone to conflicting passions, ones that may not be reconcilable in this world... Floyd pulls the reader into their lives without mercy." --Clive Matson, author of Let the Crazy Child Write! and First Ten Songs
A linked novel centered around the inhabitants of a wealthy enclave of African Americans in the Bay Area. An attempted murder transforms each character. Told from eight different perspectives.
174 pages, paperback
First published January 1, 2007
22 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Anjuelle Floyd
7 books466 followersClick here, http://www.freado.com/users/settings/..., and read to the opening of Dancing Siva the first of 8 interconnected short stories comprising my linked novel, Keeper of Secrets…Translations of an Incident and and excerpt of my novel, The House.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 19, 2008
"Keeper of Secrets" is a collection of short stories (primarily) revolving around one violent incident in a restaurant in San Francisco. It weaves together the stories of a group of people who are, for a variety of reasons, unable to come to terms with events from their pasts, and are therefore unable to live in the present. The characters are linked to each other in some way, and the stories tend to tie into each other, which I really enjoyed. I loved how the characters all strive to understand themselves better, to confront their fears and unanswered questions, and ultimately, how much depth there is to each one of them. With each story, the characters' pasts are hidden from the reader, and their secrets are slowly revealed, piece-by-piece. The courage they must gather to turn their lives around is inspiring.
My only complaint is that the stories get a little repetitive; many of the characters seem to face the same fundamental problems. And there was a brief moment when I just wanted to tell one of the characters to get over herself...
Overall, though, I recommend this book. Anjuelle Floyd's writing is unpretentious and seems effortless, and her stories are insightful and original.
My only complaint is that the stories get a little repetitive; many of the characters seem to face the same fundamental problems. And there was a brief moment when I just wanted to tell one of the characters to get over herself...
Overall, though, I recommend this book. Anjuelle Floyd's writing is unpretentious and seems effortless, and her stories are insightful and original.
August 10, 2013
I enjoyed the storytelling method of wrapping the lives of people who seem like strangers around each other. It was a bit hard to keep straight all the characters, however, even with the Kindle Fire's "search within book" feature. Another issue I had is that chapter headings didn't seem to be in the right place, but this is likely specific to the Kindle edition.
It was perhaps an effort to avoid too much superfluous detail, but it was hard to keep track of the story, even within a chapter. Characters would suddenly talk to someone else in another location and I wanted more information about a situation that was apparently over.
It was perhaps an effort to avoid too much superfluous detail, but it was hard to keep track of the story, even within a chapter. Characters would suddenly talk to someone else in another location and I wanted more information about a situation that was apparently over.
September 10, 2010
Keeper of Secrets is a collection of riveting interconnected stories. All of them focus on successful and rich African-Americans, who are directly/indirectly connected to each other. The eight stories center around one violent incident that occurred in a restaurant and is seen from eight different perspectives. The protagonists in each of the stories are affected by the incident in different ways.
All these people have something painful in their pasts and are unable to come to terms with it. It is hard to believe that this was author's debut novel.
It is extremely fascinating how the author has managed to connect different characters and their stories with one incident - the result is beautiful, complex and compelling.
As each story unfolds, we come to know each character more deeply - their pain, their trauma, fears , weaknesses, guilts, regrets and their imperfections. Every character has their own secrets, buried and painful pasts that continue to haunt them.
I usually do not read short stories much. But Keeper of Secrets is very unique and well-written. It is the kind of book which makes one ponder. This enigmatic and engaging book is an intriguing study of human psyche. Perhaps its because the author was a student of Psychology , that she shows such an in-depth understanding of human nature.
The protagonists in every story have been wounded in some way - they are all accomplished people, yet they have hidden secrets and painful memories that handicap them , that they can't let go off.
Every character was well-developed. I could feel their pain and sympathize with them.
My only problem with the book is that it ended too soon. Long after I had finished reading the book, I still kept going back to it in my mind.
Overall:
Insightful , beautiful and absorbing .
Recommended?
Yes! To every single person who likes great novels.
All these people have something painful in their pasts and are unable to come to terms with it. It is hard to believe that this was author's debut novel.
It is extremely fascinating how the author has managed to connect different characters and their stories with one incident - the result is beautiful, complex and compelling.
As each story unfolds, we come to know each character more deeply - their pain, their trauma, fears , weaknesses, guilts, regrets and their imperfections. Every character has their own secrets, buried and painful pasts that continue to haunt them.
I usually do not read short stories much. But Keeper of Secrets is very unique and well-written. It is the kind of book which makes one ponder. This enigmatic and engaging book is an intriguing study of human psyche. Perhaps its because the author was a student of Psychology , that she shows such an in-depth understanding of human nature.
The protagonists in every story have been wounded in some way - they are all accomplished people, yet they have hidden secrets and painful memories that handicap them , that they can't let go off.
Every character was well-developed. I could feel their pain and sympathize with them.
My only problem with the book is that it ended too soon. Long after I had finished reading the book, I still kept going back to it in my mind.
Overall:
Insightful , beautiful and absorbing .
Recommended?
Yes! To every single person who likes great novels.
July 15, 2009
The book cover design is magically beautiful and for a short story book includes the contents and character's descriptions before reading the book. While reading the first few pages, it is brilliantly written.
Raven, who did not follow the footsteps of her mother, Ninth Federal Circuit Judge (first female African American Judge in her district) as an attorney. She decided to become an psychiatrist or therapist. Her love choices take a twist, to be with a man that shared the same interest at the given time: loneliness, after Raven lost her Daddy Bill to death. She leaves her former lover, Absylom, to date his patient, Drew, and a secret that she holds dear to her. These characters are attorneys, judges, and therapists, which are occupations I had to decipher over doing during my college years. I have looked into Counseling Psychology (PhD) in 2004/05, but still focusing on law school and waiting for the opportune time to attend since it is a rigorous studies and position.
There are other stories stimulating your mind, weaving characters from one short story into another one, and seeing how they break free from their heartrending-deadly secrets. The author also creates characters from international, third world countries such as India, Africa, and Iraq to name a few and multicultural issues while living in the U.S. for some of the short stories.
Raven, who did not follow the footsteps of her mother, Ninth Federal Circuit Judge (first female African American Judge in her district) as an attorney. She decided to become an psychiatrist or therapist. Her love choices take a twist, to be with a man that shared the same interest at the given time: loneliness, after Raven lost her Daddy Bill to death. She leaves her former lover, Absylom, to date his patient, Drew, and a secret that she holds dear to her. These characters are attorneys, judges, and therapists, which are occupations I had to decipher over doing during my college years. I have looked into Counseling Psychology (PhD) in 2004/05, but still focusing on law school and waiting for the opportune time to attend since it is a rigorous studies and position.
There are other stories stimulating your mind, weaving characters from one short story into another one, and seeing how they break free from their heartrending-deadly secrets. The author also creates characters from international, third world countries such as India, Africa, and Iraq to name a few and multicultural issues while living in the U.S. for some of the short stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2013
I downloaded this book for free from the kindle store. This book is an interrelated collection of short stories. Most of the stories are linked together by one event that happened in a restaurant while most of the characters were present. However, some of the characters actually knew each other.
Ultimately, this book was about relationships, decisions, mistakes, and consequences...life. Most of the stories involved some secret that is being kept from characters.
This book was an interesting but slow read, as information is revealed layer by layer in each story. Some of the stories were difficult to get through because I just got tired of waiting and was not entertained enough during the process. The first story, for instance, seemed long and difficult to get through, but, if you stick through it, then the other stories will make up for it somewhat.
Since some of the characters knew each other, it was a little difficult to remember who was who and how they were linked as I moved along in the stories. I had to look back a couple of times to remember. The time period was different at times, too, so reading this book required a decent amount of concentration and attention. Some of the stories are sad, as well, so do not read this when you are looking for an uplift.
Still, this was a worthwhile read, especially if you can get it for free.
Ultimately, this book was about relationships, decisions, mistakes, and consequences...life. Most of the stories involved some secret that is being kept from characters.
This book was an interesting but slow read, as information is revealed layer by layer in each story. Some of the stories were difficult to get through because I just got tired of waiting and was not entertained enough during the process. The first story, for instance, seemed long and difficult to get through, but, if you stick through it, then the other stories will make up for it somewhat.
Since some of the characters knew each other, it was a little difficult to remember who was who and how they were linked as I moved along in the stories. I had to look back a couple of times to remember. The time period was different at times, too, so reading this book required a decent amount of concentration and attention. Some of the stories are sad, as well, so do not read this when you are looking for an uplift.
Still, this was a worthwhile read, especially if you can get it for free.
October 26, 2010
My Review Keeper of Secrets
By Joyce White
Last edited: Sunday, October 24, 2010
Posted: Sunday, October 24, 2010
Author, Anjuelle Floyd's Website,
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/autho...
Most of us have to eventually settle when it comes to accepting what fate has dealt us as opposed to what we expected or wanted. This is a common theme in Anjuelle Floyd's work.
1.
Product Details
Keeper of Secrets: Translations of an Incident by Anjuelle Floyd (Paperback - Jun 15, 2007)
Buy new: $14.95 $10.17
Keepers of Secrets
Translations of an Incident
by Anjuelle Floyd
My Title for this Review
Pandora’s Box of Secrets
Anjuelle is a gifted story-teller and lives in San Francisco Bay Area and has been married for 25 years. She is a mother, wife and radio host. She is great at moment-to-moment details and intertwining relationships. In the first two stories she weaved a very complicated set of characters and circumstances around an incident with an estranged couple arguing at a fancy restaurant. The on-lookers who are also having dinner become the characters in her stories collectively. The root argument that stirred each was between a wife and husband as they were having dinner. Evidently, the wife had aborted her baby and the husband was very angry. What I found odd was that it was the wife who jumped up and held a knife to her husband’s throat. She also had a gun in her purse. Her intent was premeditated but questionable to me. Raven, the heroine, threw herself into the mix by talking the woman into submission, saving the husband’s life. I would think this would be the other way around. The husband would be in enraged at his wife aborting his child without his knowledge. It was little non-expanded on details that left me hanging with more questions than answers. I don’t think the scene was substantial enough. I think this story wanted to be a mystery and would have been much more intriguing and easy to understand if the first restaurant scene had been expanded on more. My comments are not criticism, just my own personal feelings.
I think it interesting the first title, Dancing Siva, was named after a mahogany deity or god set within a ring of fire. Anjuelle actually sculpted this artwork she based her story on. I thought this a unique fact. I liked the idea this story was wrapped around a real piece of art work. As the scene opens in the restaurant, Raven, her heroine, was already emotionally drained from a crying baby she just couldn’t bond with as a mother. I think she was probably suffering from depression after giving birth. The story could have expanded this thought more. She was a psychotherapist trying to raise her second child with the guilt of aborting her first unbeknown to the father or to her new husband Drew. I think the term, Physician, heal thyself, was appropriate.
Anjuelle’s characters were all pretty much like her, African Americans, well-educated, students of Theology and Philosophy. All are care takers bent on living the American dream and living in accordance to their own cultures, rituals and set of values. There was a mild sort of emotional menage a trios going on between Raven, her religious mentor Absylom and her lawyer-husband Drew. Anjuelle is great at writing womanly love and romance. Her words spellbound me, “Sometimes our hearts are divided. Yet to love one person more fully, we sometimes have to leave the other. It’s the only way we can stay whole - - otherwise we bleed to death,” Another less poetic way to look at this is - - if you can’t be with the one you love, to love the one you’re with! Raven had two choices for self-preservation and happiness; she had to pick which child to best love. She had to free herself of the guilt for aborting her first so she could properly love the second. The other choice she had to make was how to love one man without forgetting the love she had for another.
In her next story Keeping Secrets, psychoanalyst, Lahni is very much like the character, Raven. Lahni married a blind Nigerian financier instead of another. This seemed kind of strange to me. Lahni was herself attacked when she was a young girl by three Nigerian women bent on circumcising her. Yet, she married another Nigerian who may want one day to take her and her daughter back to Nigeria. Her daughter could face the same mutilation. Again, I think Anjuelle could have developed this story into a mystery better. I thought it odd that she didn’t want to talk to her Nigerian husband about almost being mutilated by the Nigerian habit of female circumcision. What was she afraid of?
Again, there is an emotional ménage a trios going on with Lahni, a childhood friend Amos and her blind Nigerian husband, Nwoye. When it comes to loving two, Anjuelle so lyrically wrote, “…a person’s hidden truths, however treacherous or sad, defined them, served as the glue holding all intact, but also bound that person to those entrusted with holding their confidence, keeping their secrets.” Sometimes we have to stay emotionally tied to those who accept us as we are with secrets or not.”
These stories were not easy reading for me. I agree with Clive Matson, who wrote the blurb on the back jacket of Keeper of Secrets, “Karmic truth, the effect of our decisions with our secrets and our deepest loves, comes back and squeezes the hearts of these characters…” Reading it kind of squeezed my heart and my head. Most of us have to eventually settle when it comes to accepting what fate has dealt us as opposed to what we expected or wanted.
FOUR STARS
Reviewed by Joyce White
Sculpting the Heart Book Reviews
Author of Sculpting the Heart and
Sculpting the Heart’s Poetry
By Joyce White
Last edited: Sunday, October 24, 2010
Posted: Sunday, October 24, 2010
Author, Anjuelle Floyd's Website,
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/autho...
Most of us have to eventually settle when it comes to accepting what fate has dealt us as opposed to what we expected or wanted. This is a common theme in Anjuelle Floyd's work.
1.
Product Details
Keeper of Secrets: Translations of an Incident by Anjuelle Floyd (Paperback - Jun 15, 2007)
Buy new: $14.95 $10.17
Keepers of Secrets
Translations of an Incident
by Anjuelle Floyd
My Title for this Review
Pandora’s Box of Secrets
Anjuelle is a gifted story-teller and lives in San Francisco Bay Area and has been married for 25 years. She is a mother, wife and radio host. She is great at moment-to-moment details and intertwining relationships. In the first two stories she weaved a very complicated set of characters and circumstances around an incident with an estranged couple arguing at a fancy restaurant. The on-lookers who are also having dinner become the characters in her stories collectively. The root argument that stirred each was between a wife and husband as they were having dinner. Evidently, the wife had aborted her baby and the husband was very angry. What I found odd was that it was the wife who jumped up and held a knife to her husband’s throat. She also had a gun in her purse. Her intent was premeditated but questionable to me. Raven, the heroine, threw herself into the mix by talking the woman into submission, saving the husband’s life. I would think this would be the other way around. The husband would be in enraged at his wife aborting his child without his knowledge. It was little non-expanded on details that left me hanging with more questions than answers. I don’t think the scene was substantial enough. I think this story wanted to be a mystery and would have been much more intriguing and easy to understand if the first restaurant scene had been expanded on more. My comments are not criticism, just my own personal feelings.
I think it interesting the first title, Dancing Siva, was named after a mahogany deity or god set within a ring of fire. Anjuelle actually sculpted this artwork she based her story on. I thought this a unique fact. I liked the idea this story was wrapped around a real piece of art work. As the scene opens in the restaurant, Raven, her heroine, was already emotionally drained from a crying baby she just couldn’t bond with as a mother. I think she was probably suffering from depression after giving birth. The story could have expanded this thought more. She was a psychotherapist trying to raise her second child with the guilt of aborting her first unbeknown to the father or to her new husband Drew. I think the term, Physician, heal thyself, was appropriate.
Anjuelle’s characters were all pretty much like her, African Americans, well-educated, students of Theology and Philosophy. All are care takers bent on living the American dream and living in accordance to their own cultures, rituals and set of values. There was a mild sort of emotional menage a trios going on between Raven, her religious mentor Absylom and her lawyer-husband Drew. Anjuelle is great at writing womanly love and romance. Her words spellbound me, “Sometimes our hearts are divided. Yet to love one person more fully, we sometimes have to leave the other. It’s the only way we can stay whole - - otherwise we bleed to death,” Another less poetic way to look at this is - - if you can’t be with the one you love, to love the one you’re with! Raven had two choices for self-preservation and happiness; she had to pick which child to best love. She had to free herself of the guilt for aborting her first so she could properly love the second. The other choice she had to make was how to love one man without forgetting the love she had for another.
In her next story Keeping Secrets, psychoanalyst, Lahni is very much like the character, Raven. Lahni married a blind Nigerian financier instead of another. This seemed kind of strange to me. Lahni was herself attacked when she was a young girl by three Nigerian women bent on circumcising her. Yet, she married another Nigerian who may want one day to take her and her daughter back to Nigeria. Her daughter could face the same mutilation. Again, I think Anjuelle could have developed this story into a mystery better. I thought it odd that she didn’t want to talk to her Nigerian husband about almost being mutilated by the Nigerian habit of female circumcision. What was she afraid of?
Again, there is an emotional ménage a trios going on with Lahni, a childhood friend Amos and her blind Nigerian husband, Nwoye. When it comes to loving two, Anjuelle so lyrically wrote, “…a person’s hidden truths, however treacherous or sad, defined them, served as the glue holding all intact, but also bound that person to those entrusted with holding their confidence, keeping their secrets.” Sometimes we have to stay emotionally tied to those who accept us as we are with secrets or not.”
These stories were not easy reading for me. I agree with Clive Matson, who wrote the blurb on the back jacket of Keeper of Secrets, “Karmic truth, the effect of our decisions with our secrets and our deepest loves, comes back and squeezes the hearts of these characters…” Reading it kind of squeezed my heart and my head. Most of us have to eventually settle when it comes to accepting what fate has dealt us as opposed to what we expected or wanted.
FOUR STARS
Reviewed by Joyce White
Sculpting the Heart Book Reviews
Author of Sculpting the Heart and
Sculpting the Heart’s Poetry
March 4, 2010
How do the lives of several individuals with unique histories connect and intersect? The characters in "Keeper of Secrets: Translations of an Incident" are well-educated African Americans, living in the Bay Area of California. Within this group, there are psychotherapists, judges, lawyers, and businessmen.
In the introductory story, we meet a couple with three children, who are going out to dinner. Raven, the wife, is sleep-deprived after the birth of her third child and doesn't really want to go out, but reluctantly agrees to anyway. Throughout the day, she reflects on the past and the ambivalence she felt from the beginning of this relationship. When she met her husband, Drew, she was living with another man. She kept the relationships separate, as if she could somehow carry on with parallel lives, but in the end, she reluctantly confesses. Even so, she sometimes wonders about the choice she made. Other choices from that time in her life still affect her in the here and now, and when at a low point, as she is now, she wonders if one of her more devastating choices has had a negative effect on her new daughter. In this state of mind and while feeling vulnerable and exhausted, she is shocked by an incident that occurs at the restaurant between two customers.
In the next series of stories, there is some reference to this incident, which seemingly ripples through the lives of all of the characters, and then triggers reflection and self-examination; many of the players are either in therapy or therapists themselves, thus producing the opportunity for healing and transformation.
The author's training and practice as a psychotherapist informs the content of the eight stories and reveals how troubled individuals, despite their secrets and past misdeeds, can grow and change.
Perceptive and colorful, these stories lead the reader on a healing journey along with the characters.
Five stars.
In the introductory story, we meet a couple with three children, who are going out to dinner. Raven, the wife, is sleep-deprived after the birth of her third child and doesn't really want to go out, but reluctantly agrees to anyway. Throughout the day, she reflects on the past and the ambivalence she felt from the beginning of this relationship. When she met her husband, Drew, she was living with another man. She kept the relationships separate, as if she could somehow carry on with parallel lives, but in the end, she reluctantly confesses. Even so, she sometimes wonders about the choice she made. Other choices from that time in her life still affect her in the here and now, and when at a low point, as she is now, she wonders if one of her more devastating choices has had a negative effect on her new daughter. In this state of mind and while feeling vulnerable and exhausted, she is shocked by an incident that occurs at the restaurant between two customers.
In the next series of stories, there is some reference to this incident, which seemingly ripples through the lives of all of the characters, and then triggers reflection and self-examination; many of the players are either in therapy or therapists themselves, thus producing the opportunity for healing and transformation.
The author's training and practice as a psychotherapist informs the content of the eight stories and reveals how troubled individuals, despite their secrets and past misdeeds, can grow and change.
Perceptive and colorful, these stories lead the reader on a healing journey along with the characters.
Five stars.
March 11, 2010
From my blog...[return]The Keeper of Secrets…Translations of an Incident is a brilliantly crafted series of eight short stories, when combined create a marvelous twist. Each story is interconnected with the others through the witnessing of an act of violence in a restaurant. Through the eight sections of the novel, the reader learns about the lives of the eyewitnesses and the impact this one incident has on these lives and how they are forever altered. Anjuelle Floyd cleverly weaves together a delightfully complex storyline in a seamless manner, much as a master craftsman would weave a basket. The Keeper of Secrets…Translations of an Incident tells how one isolated incident can not only be viewed differently but how the aftermath of witnessing such and act can alter the lives of those who were present. My only complaint: Keeper of Secrets…Translations of an Incident ended too soon. I wanted to continue reading this wonderful masterpiece and look forward to the future works of Anjuelle Floyd. The Keeper of Secrets…Translations of an Incident would make a brilliant choice for a book discussion group
February 1, 2010
A riveting compilation of stories from 8 different looks at the same incident that occurred at an upscale restaurant and how it affected these peoples lives. Reminding some of things in their past, leading others to examine their own lives and the people around them. The complex connections that are made are amazing, exciting, and full of emotions that you can't help become involved in their stories. I truly enjoyed reading Keeper of Secrets: Translations of an Incident
, but I must say that it made me want to read more of these peoples lives. Perhaps I am just one of those people who need happy endings and closure. Yes, there are some here in Keeper of Secrets. Perhaps I am just a voyeur at heart. I am anxious to see what Anjuelle Floyd has next in store for us. You'll want to pick up a copy to read for yourself. Great for Airline reading time or before you fall asleep in your hotel room. I know you'll enjoy it.
, but I must say that it made me want to read more of these peoples lives. Perhaps I am just one of those people who need happy endings and closure. Yes, there are some here in Keeper of Secrets. Perhaps I am just a voyeur at heart. I am anxious to see what Anjuelle Floyd has next in store for us. You'll want to pick up a copy to read for yourself. Great for Airline reading time or before you fall asleep in your hotel room. I know you'll enjoy it.
May 4, 2014
Received from GoodReads First Reads for review.
One incident in a restaurant between a couple, eight stories of how it impacts different people (directly or indirectly).
A woman, psychotherapist by profession, wonders "what might have been" if she hadn't followed her mother's advice.
Another woman wonders if it might be time to share with her husband a traumatic incident in the past.
A former psychotherapist - now blind - wonders whose advice to follow: a neurosurgeon friend's or her husband's. One could possibly restore her sight, the other almost smothers her in protectiveness.
A bridge engineer is recovering from a fall and seems to be different from the way he was before - and decisions need to be made.
Those are a few of the stories in Keeper and they, along with the rest, are woven seemlessly together in a rich tapestry that makes not only the individual stories come alive, but the incident that started the story as well.
One incident in a restaurant between a couple, eight stories of how it impacts different people (directly or indirectly).
A woman, psychotherapist by profession, wonders "what might have been" if she hadn't followed her mother's advice.
Another woman wonders if it might be time to share with her husband a traumatic incident in the past.
A former psychotherapist - now blind - wonders whose advice to follow: a neurosurgeon friend's or her husband's. One could possibly restore her sight, the other almost smothers her in protectiveness.
A bridge engineer is recovering from a fall and seems to be different from the way he was before - and decisions need to be made.
Those are a few of the stories in Keeper and they, along with the rest, are woven seemlessly together in a rich tapestry that makes not only the individual stories come alive, but the incident that started the story as well.
March 1, 2010
Read "Dancing Siva" from Keeper of Secrets...Translations of an Incident
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August 5, 2013
"Keeper of Secrets", held promise to be a thoughtful summer read. The concept of multiple interpretations of a single dramatic event intrigued me from the start. Unfortunately, I found the novel to be overly dramatic and hard to follow. There were just too many characters, and the connections between them were loose at best. The event that was to be the glue that tied the short stories together, seemed barely relevant to most of the plot line. I was so hoping for an " ah ha" moment at the end that would make it all make sense, but only found myself more utterly confused and disappointed that it was not the at all what I had expected and/or hoped it would be.
September 17, 2014
'Keeper of Secrets - Translations of an Incident' is an emotional, gripping and heartwarming collection of stories connecting so many people to a unforgettable incident. As I finished the book I realised that every character that Anjuelle Floyd wrote about were broken in some way... but as each story finished they were given the chance to become whole again. Love, religion, death, life, hope and redemption: these strong emotional and spiritual transformations made it hard to read at times (due to my own life circumstances) but it was an absolute pleasure to read this treasure of a novel. Thank you so much Anjuelle Floyd for giving me the chance :)
April 24, 2009
Keeper of Secrets..Translations of an Incident, is a fascinating great read. It is composed of 8 short stories, all connected by one incident. A near stabbing occurs in a restaurant, and everyone who was present is affected by this. Past memories, some tragic are resurfaced and each character is faced with accepting and dealing with their past. Jealousy, infidelity, mental illness are just a few of these "inner secrets" that arise in Keeper.
September 23, 2010
Keeper of secrets is a collection of short stories revolving around one violent incident in San Francisco.It is a brilliantly crafted series when combined create a marvelous twist. Each story is interconnected with the others through the witnessing of the act of violence in the restaurant. through the eight sections the reader learns about the life,s of the eyewitnesses and the impact this one incident has had on these lives and how they are forever altered.
May 20, 2020
I don’t even know what this was about. It’s a series of short stories with characters that recur. But it was so convoluted and the writing so uninteresting, I didn’t know who was who or why they knew each other by the end.
March 21, 2010
The stories in Keeper of Secrets...Translations of an Incident, are about what goes unspoken in relationships as much as they are about communication. The author, Anjuelle Floyd, plays with delightful phrasing, spinning the reader into an enigmatic world of guarded implication, daring the reader to discover the deeper meaning veiled in the words.
Keeper of Secrets is a collection of eight stories, all connected in some way by an incident that occurs in the first story. Every story flows along certain themes of inner conflict and resolution, melding into an entirety, while still maintaining each story as a stand-alone narrative.
I found some of the stories worked slightly better than others, but they were all engaging and compelling. The book plays out as a mosaic, each story a section of a beautiful picture, yet enjoyable on its own merit. The book explores sadness, regret, secrets and poignant struggles as each character tries to cope with or solve an emotional dilemma that plagues their lives.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the lyrical, spiritual quality that trickled from the pages and the complicated, yet hopeful attributes of the characters. It’s the type of book that you sink into and swirls around your senses. I can easily recommend it.
Keeper of Secrets is a collection of eight stories, all connected in some way by an incident that occurs in the first story. Every story flows along certain themes of inner conflict and resolution, melding into an entirety, while still maintaining each story as a stand-alone narrative.
I found some of the stories worked slightly better than others, but they were all engaging and compelling. The book plays out as a mosaic, each story a section of a beautiful picture, yet enjoyable on its own merit. The book explores sadness, regret, secrets and poignant struggles as each character tries to cope with or solve an emotional dilemma that plagues their lives.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the lyrical, spiritual quality that trickled from the pages and the complicated, yet hopeful attributes of the characters. It’s the type of book that you sink into and swirls around your senses. I can easily recommend it.
September 14, 2010
This is an emotional collection of interconnected stories based on a group of accomplished, upper-middle class Blacks living in Oakland/San Francisco, California, and who, it turns out, all know each other.
The first story is Dancing Sivah, featuring Raven Clarke, a former psychotherapist, and her husband, Drew, an attorney. At a dinner, they witness and interrupt an argument between a couple which turns violent. That incident is also witnessed by a roomful of other strangers.
This is the beginning of a series of stories, from the other people who are affected by seeing the argument and how it affects them and the different relationships, between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives and everyone else.
This is a touching examination of what drives us as people and sometimes the things in our past that shape us.
The first story is Dancing Sivah, featuring Raven Clarke, a former psychotherapist, and her husband, Drew, an attorney. At a dinner, they witness and interrupt an argument between a couple which turns violent. That incident is also witnessed by a roomful of other strangers.
This is the beginning of a series of stories, from the other people who are affected by seeing the argument and how it affects them and the different relationships, between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives and everyone else.
This is a touching examination of what drives us as people and sometimes the things in our past that shape us.
July 14, 2009
Anjuelle Floyd gives a breathe of fresh air--newness and creativity in her short stories that connects to other short stories within in the book. This should have been called the "family sagas" as a novel.
Moreover, she engages the reader into multicultural relationships and third world countries with their rituals/affairs. Her writing style is brilliantly written and readers need to take their time without distractions to catch even deadly secret thrown at you, while still begging for more to unleash!
I also enjoyed reading about the trials and lifestyles of psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, and other professional careers, as they face their clients as their memories are revealed on the surface.
Dream 4 More Reviews,
Adrienna Turner
Moreover, she engages the reader into multicultural relationships and third world countries with their rituals/affairs. Her writing style is brilliantly written and readers need to take their time without distractions to catch even deadly secret thrown at you, while still begging for more to unleash!
I also enjoyed reading about the trials and lifestyles of psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, and other professional careers, as they face their clients as their memories are revealed on the surface.
Dream 4 More Reviews,
Adrienna Turner
August 22, 2010
“Keeper of Secrets...Translations of an Incident”, is a wonderfully evocative book. Anjuelle Floyd provides a beautifully crafted emotional journey for her readers.
Each story revolves around a central incident – a conflict in a restaurant – that somehow involves each character, changing their lives.
“The Keeper of Secrets” is an emotional character study. Floyd writes with a penetrating tenderness as she explores the emotions of her characters, showing their strengths and flaws. The characters withstand her probing, stepping forth renewed; stronger, more confident and spiritually centered than before.
I greatly enjoyed “The Keeper of Secrets” and highly recommend it. I look forward to reading Floyd's next book, “Home”.
Each story revolves around a central incident – a conflict in a restaurant – that somehow involves each character, changing their lives.
“The Keeper of Secrets” is an emotional character study. Floyd writes with a penetrating tenderness as she explores the emotions of her characters, showing their strengths and flaws. The characters withstand her probing, stepping forth renewed; stronger, more confident and spiritually centered than before.
I greatly enjoyed “The Keeper of Secrets” and highly recommend it. I look forward to reading Floyd's next book, “Home”.
March 17, 2013
I very seldom stop reading a book before I've reached the and, and I will force myself to finish this one. This book is poorly written and cries out, apparently in vain, for a good editor. The characters are shallow and poorly developed. The stories are loosely connected by a very thin premise that never lives up to what little potential it had at the start. The author would have done better to pick a couple of her characters and flesh them out. The style is choppy and leaves little opportunity to care about the people or situations about which you are reading. Fortunately, I only wasted my time on this and not my money.
February 13, 2015
Psychoanalyst treating fellow psychoanalysts. People in relationships with one another through connections with their psychoanalyst or to some other degree everyone in every and each story was connected somehow to someone in a previous story. It wasn't just the event in the restaurant that connected them but also their personal problems or indirect connections to amorher person who was also present.
Another interesting thought expressed in the stories, the enemy soldiers in the Middle East are viewed byany afficzn smericans as being fighting against someone just like themselves.
Another interesting thought expressed in the stories, the enemy soldiers in the Middle East are viewed byany afficzn smericans as being fighting against someone just like themselves.
June 5, 2014
* Gratefully received from Goodreads Giveaway *
The stories were intriguing and written with depth and emotion however I frequently got lost trying to remember who the characters were and the story jumped from different characters and situations that I frequently had to re-read certain paragraphs in an effort to follow the story.
The stories were intriguing and written with depth and emotion however I frequently got lost trying to remember who the characters were and the story jumped from different characters and situations that I frequently had to re-read certain paragraphs in an effort to follow the story.
July 4, 2007
Okay, so I edited this book. However, it was one of my favorite books to work on, because I enjoyed READING it so much! It is comprised of eight shorter stories, woven together by shared characters and their interpretations of a violent scene in a restaurant.
January 29, 2011
A fascinating collection of stories that focus on the themes of trauma, loss, regret, ambivalence, and forgiveness. I can see the seeds of THE HOUSE in this collection.
If you enjoy these stories, be sure to pickup a copy of THE HOUSE.
If you enjoy these stories, be sure to pickup a copy of THE HOUSE.
September 5, 2012
stories of love & loss & how they affect our relationships told in intertwining short stories that revisit these same issues from many different angles -- author skillfully created an amazing collection of unique characters that I really connected to
August 25, 2012
Interesting meshing and intertwining characters in several different short stories...yet at times it seemed a bit too much...all these powerful, accomplished yet all so emotionally tortured...debated between 2 or 3 stars... 2 1/2 would be my choice
April 27, 2014
This is a high-quality book with a great deal of tenderness and care even during bad circumstances. The stories can be complex as they are entwined. This book was an appealing but slow read as information is discovered layer by layer in each narrative.
September 26, 2014
So many of the characters felt the same (& I don't mean the characters reappearing in another story)- blindness, unhappy marriages, cancer. & did we really need a story of the characters from Seasons in Purdah? Yawn! Floyd needs to find another direction, can't keep regurgitating the same material.
December 2, 2014
This book was part of a goodreads giveaway. I found this book although somewhat confusing at times, very interesting. Looking at a scene in life through many eyes and their stories along with it was. This was quite a new experience in reading.
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